Foldable umbrella.



WAM

S.- MOCLELLAN.

FOLDABLE UMBRELIA. APPLIoATIoN HLEDMAY 1, 1909. RBNEWBD 00T. 24,1911.

Patented May 28, 1912.

* ,BaMa/715%@ im N v i COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0.,WA,SHINUTON. D. C.

, Snwmtov place when saidumbrella is'in folded poj back against the lowersection of said rod.

p illustrated in the accompanying drawings f andl cover, said rib together with its correj conjunction with the rod ias it would appear A .UNITED sTArEs rarEN'r orrioii.

^ s'rnrrinn MGGLELLAN, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

FOLDABLE UMBRELLA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 1, 1909, Serial Ivo. 493,322. kRenewed October 24, 1911. Serial No. 656,525. x

5 State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Foldable Umbrellas, of which the following is a speciication.

f My invention has relationv to new and useful improvements in foldable umbrellas, and ,especially to that class of foldable umbrellas inwhich the lower sections of the ribs are f locked in their different positions.

' A' vThe main objecty of ymy invention is to afford means whereby the lower sections of the ribs of an umbrella maybe locked while y said umbrella is in raised'position.

Another object of myinvention is to produce means whereby the lower sections of the ribs of said umbrella will be locked in placey when said umbrella is in closed position.y

Another object of my invention is to produce means wherebyfthe lower sections of the ribs of an umbrellamay be lockedin sition.

` Another object of my device is to produce a foldable rod and furthermore, a handle so constructed that the saine may be folded With these and other objects in viewmy invention consists of thenovel construction and arrangement of parts as are hereinafter more fully described in this specification,

forming a part thereof, and particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto attached. .Reference being hadV to the drawings: Figure 1 is an elevation of one rib, the rod sponding brace being illustrated as it would sition. Fig. 2 is a view showing onefrib'as it Would appear when yin folded position, 1n

when'in folded position.k Fig.3 1s a view onan enlargedscale, of t-helocking means as it would appear when said umbrella is j view, illustrating however, the reverse side in open position.` Fig. 4'fisv a corresponding of said locking means. Fig. 5 is a view of one rib together with *its corresponding Patented May 28,1912.

swung in any position desired. vThis is the f f only position at which said lower section of said rib is not locked in relation to the upper section thereof. Fig.6 is a view illustrating the positionassumed by the said rib and its corresponding brace, when the lower section thereof is lockedwhile said umbrella is in closed position. This view is anillustration of the same side of the lockingV means disclosed in Figs. 4 and 7, while Figs. y1,

2, 3 and 5 illustrate the reverse lside of said locking means. Fig.V 7 is an enlargedview of the positions assumed by the said foldable rib and its corresponding brace together with the locking means, `when said foldable rib is in folded position. is a vertical longitudinal sectionvof the fold'- lable handle. Fig. `9 is a fragmentary, de-

tail,- vertical lsectional view of the foldable rod.

Fig.y 8

ReferringL more particularly i to the drawy ings my invention is described as follows: The rod l whichis hollow, is enciroled'by the runner 2, whereto is pivot-ally secured the inner ends'of each ofthe braces 3. Held securely at theupper end of said rod yis a i notch 4 whereto is pivotally held the inner end of the upper section 5 of each of the ribs 6. .The lower section vof each of said ribs G will be designated by the numeral 7. Securely held to the lower end of each of said upper Msections 5 is a `plate 8. Straddling'said plate is the bifurcated innerfend 9 of vsaid lower section 7. Thekbifurcated 'outer end 10'of said` brace 3 also straddles said plate. 4Said bifurcat-ed portionsl are i' held in pivotal relation with said plateby means of pins 11 and 12 which pass through corresponding registering 'perforations f' inV each of said bifurcated portions of said plate.

Formed for secured to the prong 13 of said bifurcated portion 9 is a, smalllug y 14, which travels Ywith and assumes a diiiei-,

ent position whenever saidlower section? is made to assume a different position. A

large lug 15 isformed or secured to Athe prong' 16l of the bifurcated portion 910V.

Said lug travels with and assumes every position assumed bythe movementv ofjsaid brace 8'. Itis obvious that these lugs .may ,A be secured to each prong of each bifurcated portion. It will be seen that thereis af right-angle bend -l'ineach of the forks of,

said bifurcated portion9. nThis bend in conjunction with the enlargementuof the prongs of said bifurcated portion 10 are the 'means I whereby said ribs are locked while said umbrella is in open position. In this, it will be seen, that I have departed from the usual met-hod of forming a joint near the center, in which previous inventors have attempted to preserve the alinement. Slo that the cover 18 of said umbrella. will lie smoothly I have suspended a piece of tape 19 across said joint, the ends of said tape being secured in place to the eyelets 20 by means of threads 21. This tape also acts as a protection to the cover when said umbrellaJ is in folded position.

The rod 1 is made in two sections 22 and 23. Extending from the mouth of said upper section and held securely therein is a short tube 24:; a vertical slot 25 is cut in said upper section of said rod near the lower end thereof, wherethrough is inserted solder, for the purpose of securing` said small tube in place. The lower protruding portion 26 of said short tube is provided with threads which engage the threads 27 formed on the inner surface near the upper end of said lower section 23 of said rod. A plunger 28 is securely held in placein the lower sect-ion of said rod by means of a rivet 29. Said plunger is provided with two suitable hinges 30 the function of which will be clearly obvious. This plunger passes vertically through said small tube into the upper section of said rod. A head 31 is formed to the extreme upper end of said plunger. When said lower section of the rod 1 is unscrewed from the small tube 24: said head 31 travels downward and contacts the upper extreme end of said small tube 24;, thus allowing said lower section to be folded back upon said upper section as illustrated in Fig. 2.

A handle 32 is adapted to be folded back upon the lower section 23, in the following manner. A ring 33 which encircles the upper end of said handle and the lower end of said lower section 23 is adapted to be' slipped upward when the pin 34 or its equivalent is removed, allowing said handle to be pulled downward until the inner surface of the upper portion of a link engages a pin 36 secured in said lower section 23. The upper portion of the handle 32 is then allowed to swing through a slot 37 cut in said lower section 23. The upper portion of said handle is very thin and is adapted to pass through said slot. Said handle is provided with a vertical hinge or a plurality of hinges 38 making said handle capable of being opened and closed at will. By this construction I am enabled to use said handle as a receptacle for holding the cover of the foldable umbrella, when it is desired to remove said cover therefrom. This also enables the user of my device to make a more compact package when said umbrella is folded by opening said handle and allowing the same to remain in open position and cause it to lie flat against the other contacting parts of said foldable umbrella.

The umbrella being in open position and it being desired to fold the same into that position which is illustrated in Fig. 2, the runner 2 is released from the lower clasp 39 and slid downward unt-il the brace 3 has assumed that position which is illustrated in Fig. 5, when said lower section 7 is swung backward as indicated by the dotted lines (Fig. 5) against said upper section 5. The runner 2 is then slid upward until it almostcontacts said notch 4, when it will be found that each of said lower sections 7 of said umbrella are held locked in place.

My umbrella being in a folded position and it is desired to cause the same to assume an open position, the rod 1 is first unfolded, the lower section thereof being placed in alinement with the upper section thereof as illustrated in Fig. 9. The handle is also caused to assume its normal position as shown in Fig. 8. The runner 2 is then slid downward past the clasp 40 until each of said braces 3 assume a position as shown in Fig. 5, when the lower sections 7 are swung outward into a position as shown in Fig. 1. Said runner 2 is then slid upward until it engages the clasp 40. The umbrella is then said to be in open position. My umbrella being in open position and it is desired to close the same, said runner 2 is released from `the clasp 40, slid downward until it is engaged by the clasp 39. The lower sections 7 are then in locked position as shown by Fig. 6. Y

From the foregoing explanation of the operation of my device it will be obvious that the key of the different positions at which the lower section 7 will be held in locked relation to the upper sections 5, is said runner 2, as in order to cause the umbrella to assume one position from that of another it is necessary to slide said runner to that position on the rod 1 which will cause said braces 3 to assume the position illustrated in Fig. 5. The arrangement shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4c, it may be further stated, is such that it forms a positive lock against the movement of said lower sections 7 in either a backward or downward movement while said runner 2 is engaged by clasp 40. The downward motion is also halted by reason of the lug l1, which is formed to the plate 8, coming into contact ,with the bifurcated portion 9. It will be seen that this relieves the tension on the pin 11 to alarge extent.

Having described my invention what I claim as new, is:

1. A foldable umbrella comprising ribs formed in two sections, each of which ribs,

thereof positively against movement in relatio'n to the upper section thereof, said look consisting of a plate, a bifurcated portion formed at the outer end of said brace, a bifuroated portion formed at the inner end of the lower section of said rib, each of said bifnrcated portions straddling said plate and held in pivotal relation therewith, each prong of the second-mentioned bifurcated portion provided with similar right-angle bends, the ends of each of the prongs of the first-mentioned bifurcated portion being enlarged and adapted to be received by their Corresponding right-angle bend insaid firstmentioned prongs.

2.y A foldable umbrella comprising ribs formed in two sections, braces, means to look the lower section of each rib in place when said umbrella is in folded or-` open position, said means consisting of a plate, a bifuroated portion formed at the outer end of each brace, a bifurcated portion formed at l the upper end of the lower section of each rib, each of said bifurcated portions straddling said plate and held in pivotal relation therewith, a small ylug formed on one prong of said second-mentioned bifurcated portion, Va large lug formed on the corresponding prong ofthe first-mentioned bifuroated portion, said lugs coperating to look said lower section in place when said umbrella is in closed position, said lugs co-acting in a reverse manner to lock said lower section in place when said umbrella is in folded position.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

STEPHEN MCCLELLAN. Witnesses:

P. P. DUFFIE,

C. M. FORREST.

Copies of this patent may be ohtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

